1. Field of the Invention
The present embodiments relate to a cluster tool assembly used in manufacturing semiconductor wafer, and more particularly, to replacement stations that enables delivery and removal of consumable parts from the cluster tool assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical cluster tool assembly used in the manufacturing process to generate a semiconductor wafer includes one or more process modules with each process module used to perform a specific manufacturing operation, such as a cleaning operation, a deposition, an etching operation, a rinsing operation, a drying operation, etc. The chemistries and/or processing conditions used to perform these operations cause damage to some of the hardware components of the process module that are constantly exposed to the harsh conditions within the process module. These damaged or worn out hardware components need to be replaced periodically and promptly to ensure that the damaged hardware components do not expose other hardware components in the process module to the harsh conditions, and to ensure quality of the semiconductor wafer. For example, an edge ring that is disposed adjacent to a semiconductor wafer within a process module may get damaged due to its location and continuous exposure to ion bombardment from plasma generated within the process module that is used in an etching operation. The damaged edge ring needs to be replaced promptly to ensure that the damaged edge ring does not expose the underlying hardware components, such as a chuck, to the harsh process conditions. The hardware components that can be replaced are referred to herein as consumable parts.
The current process of replacing the damaged consumable part requires a trained service technician to perform a series of steps. The technician needs to bring the cluster tool assembly offline, pump/purge the cluster tool assembly to avoid exposure to toxic residuals, open the cluster tool, remove the damaged consumable part and replace the damaged consumable part with a new consumable part. Once the damaged part is replaced, the technician must then clean the cluster tool, pump the cluster tool assembly to vacuum and condition the cluster tool assembly for wafer processing. In some instances, the conditioning may involve qualifying the cluster tool assembly by running test process on the semiconductor wafer, taking cross-sections of the semiconductor wafer and analyzing the cross-sections to ensure the quality of the process operation. Replacing a damaged consumable part is a very involved and time-consuming process requiring the cluster tool assembly to be off-line for a considerable amount of time, thereby impacting the profit margin for a semiconductor manufacturer.
It is in this context that embodiments of the invention arise.